Turnabout Fate
by innocent passerby
Summary: Wright and Edgeworth find themselves wrapped up in a new, exciting case. This time, it could mean one of their lives could be changed forever by a guilty verdict. Expect the suspense and humor of the PW universe. Contains spoilers from GS3/T
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Phoenix Wright and its characters are not my property. I do claim responsibility for the plot and several original characters (witnesses/victims/etc) that are in the story.  
Also: This may or may not eventually contain a romantic relationship between Miles and Phoenix. I do like them as a couple, but I'm not sure if it will come up in this particular story. You can expect to have some canon-like interactions between them, and I will not take any offense whatsoever if you want to look into those extra looks and smiles.

Detention Center  
November 27, 2020  
10:53 P.M.

It's funny how fate can turn things around and throw something unexpected in your face. Phoenix Wright had just started to ponder that very subject when he saw a familiar face staring back at him through the bullet-proof glass of the Detention Center visitor's window.

"I never thought we'd meet again here like this," he joked, trying to keep the atmosphere from becoming too tense.

The other man's frown deepened at the defense attorney's lack of seriousness in this important matter. "Wright, you and I both know that your pitiful attempts at humor won't make this go away," Miles Edgeworth told him sternly.

Phoenix brushed a hand through his hair and gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry…" he sighed and left off at that.

A long moment of silence went on between the two men. Phoenix was failing at making eye-contact with the prosecutor after being scolded like that. He knew it was a severe case, after all… This time, there wasn't one murder victim, but two. That would mean capital murder if there were a guilty verdict decided.

"You didn't do it, did you?"

"What do you think?"

"I think it would be impossible for someone like you to commit this crime."

"Well… you're right. I didn't do it, and I don't have a clue who did."

"Are you sure? You were the only witness, and you didn't see anything?"

"Nothing."

"That's going to make us look suspicious, you know?"

"Wait… us?"

"Yes."

"You mean… you're..?"

"I've stood in for you before, Wright. I know how to defend someone in court," Miles added, folding his arms over his chest and looking to the side. "Of course, if you'd rather have someone more experienced in the field…"

"No!" Phoenix cut in, maybe a little too enthusiastically. "There's no one I'd rather have on my side," he admitted, already looking genuinely glad for the first time since Miles's arrival.

"The trial is the day after tomorrow. I'll drop by here tomorrow to ask you some questions after I visit the crime scene," Miles told him as he started to rise from his seat.

"You're already leaving?" Phoenix asked, disappointment evident on his face.

"It's already after visiting hours, Wright. Besides, we're going to need all the time we can get for this investigation," he explained and turned to go.

"Edgeworth!" Phoenix called before the prosecutor took two steps. He saw the pink-clad man tense slightly before looking back at the defendant. "Thanks," was all he had to say.

Miles nodded his head and turned to go once more. Tomorrow was going to be a long day for both of them, but tonight was just starting for the defense attorney pro-tem. His first order of business was to check the scene of the crime _before_ the police and certain detectives defiled it.

--

State Park  
November 27, 2020  
11:17 P.M.

The night air had a mild bite to it, as it often did at the turn of the seasons. Luckily for the prosecutor, he'd come prepared with a beige coat.

The walk to the center of the park had poor lighting, which Miles found a little annoying to deal with. Of course, there was plenty of light at the center because of the police patrolling the area.

"I guess you heard about what happened…" Detective Gumshoe startled the prosecutor by breaking his train of thought suddenly.

Miles frowned at the intrusion and had to use all of his will-power not to snap at Gumshoe so soon. "I would have to be blind and deaf to have missed it, considering it's been on the news all evening.

The detective slumped slightly and didn't bother hiding his concern for the situation. Then again, Dick never really had been good at masking his feelings. "You think he did it, sir? I guess you're going to take the case."

Miles considered his options. He could either lead Gumshoe into believing that he was prosecuting to get information out of him, or he could admit his role and rely on the detective's low IQ about keeping things secret. He decided to play neutral. "What have you discovered here?"

Gumshoe scratched his head in thought for a moment. "There were two murder weapons," he told him. "The woman was stabbed in the neck with a knife and the man was shot in the head," the detective explained. "It's one of the most violent murders I've seen in a while. The victims don't seem to be connected other than that they were both here."

Miles frowned, "What points to Wright in all of this?"

Gumshoe cringed at the mention of the defendant's name. "Well… it looks like the knife belonged to him, sir… it was originally in his lunch box. Both weapons have his fingerprints on them too. No one else was seen here at the time."

Miles creased his eyebrows at the information. He had no reason to believe Wright to commit such an act, but none of this made sense. "When was the time of death?"

"There was a report about a gunshot at 9:05 P.M., so it was around then. The autopsies are going on right now, so I'll get it to you as soon as they're ready," Gumshoe continued, then frowned. "You don't really think he did it, do you, sir?"

Miles looked indifferently at the detective, but didn't give him a straight answer. "Is there anything else?"

The detective slumped once more. "The gun belonged to the woman… it had her name engraved in the handle. The police are saying the man probably witnessed the murder, so Mr. Wr--the murderer… panicked,"

"If that's all, I'm going to have a look around," Miles told him professionally, then took leave from the other man. He'd let him know he was defending Wright in the morning.

The police officers didn't look twice at Miles, since they were used to his presence at crime scenes. Miles looked around at the scene. He saw there were two pools of blood, most likely from the victims. There wasn't much else that stood out besides a scarf laying on the ground near a close-by bench. Miles produced a pair of latex gloves and an evidence bag from his briefcase and picked up the scarf. He examined it briefly then placed it into the bag. He always felt it best to be thorough, so he often did his own evidence gathering instead of relying on the inefficiencies of the local police department.

Miles also took note of the murder weapons and Wright's lunchbox.

It was well after midnight when Miles felt he'd looked at everything. He decided to return during the day when he would have better lighting.


	2. Investigation: Day 1

Outside Prosecution Office  
November 28, 2020  
7:00 A.M.

When Miles turned down the hallway of his office, he was surprised to see two familiar faces.

"I can't believe you! I thought Nick was your friend!" Maya Faye exclaimed in outrage as soon as she saw the man's face. Her young cousin remained at her side looking just as angry.

Miles frowned at the spirit medium and started to unlock his office door without further acknowledgment.

"Don't you dare ignore us and go hide in your office! Detective Gumshoe told us about what happened, you know," Maya fussed and grabbed the man's magenta sleeve.

Miles sighed in annoyance, "Miss Faye, if you'd like to continue scolding me, perhaps we should take this into my office where we won't disturb people trying to do their jobs." Miles's tone was only slightly harsh, but it did its job. Maya was stunned into enraged silence.

--

Inside Prosecution Office  
November 28, 2020  
7:05 A.M.

As Miles was shutting the office door, Pearl Faye looked up at him with a severely disappointed look. "Mr. Nick said we could always count on you… but you're a mean man," Pearl said in a dejected tone.

"I couldn't believe you of all people would actually think Nick could do that…" Maya started up her verbal assault once more.

"Miss Faye…"

"After all he's done for you personally…"

"Miss Faye, would you listen to me," Miles was having more trouble than he'd ever had before with getting a word in.

"I mean, he _defended_ you in court, and this is how you repay—"

"**Miss Faye!**"

Maya stared at the man, startled by the forcefulness of his tone.

"I believe you're misdirecting your anger," Miles told her calmly and walked over to sit at his desk. He gestured with one hand towards the seats in front of the desk.

Maya and Pearl frowned at him, then looked at each other skeptically. After several seconds, they took the seats, but they still looked unconvinced.

"I never told the detective that I was prosecuting this trial. He made the assumption when I went to the crime scene last night."

Maya and Pearl seemed to lose their edge at his words. Maya smiled cheerfully, "I knew you wouldn't backstab Nick like that!"

'_You certainly seemed confident about that ten minutes ago,'_ Miles mused sarcastically to himself. "Unfortunately, all of the evidence as of right now makes Wright seem guilty."

Maya's face sank, "So you _do_ think he did it..?" Her tone wasn't harsh now, but full of disbelief and pain.

"I can't imagine Wright killing a spider, let alone commit murder," he told her, frowning to himself thoughtfully.

"Mr. Edgeworth," both Miles and Maya looked at the other girl when she spoke. "Why did Mr. Scruffy Detective say you were the bad guy?"

Miles gave Pearl a slightly stunned look in response to her words. It certainly didn't sound like something that would come from Gumshoe.

"Er…" Maya looked a little embarrassed. "Pearly thinks prosecutors are the bad guys and defense attorneys are the good guys."

"Ah…" Miles shook his head. "That depends on whether the defendant is guilty or innocent." Miles opened his briefcase and took out a small stack of papers. "Like I said before, he only assumed that I was prosecuting."

Maya watched the man start to fill in the papers he'd presented. "Hey, Mr. Edgeworth?" Miles looked up from his work. "Why were you at the crime scene if you weren't going to be prosecuting?"

Miles knew it was going to come up. He turned his attention back to the papers. "I'm going to be playing Wright's role in this case."

It took all of two seconds for the information to set in. "What?! **You're** defending Nick?!"

"As an attorney, I assure you that I've studied both sides of the law…" Miles said monotonously, distracted by the job he was working on.

"This is great!" Maya exclaimed, once again startling the man who was not used to such noisy company. "We're going to help you prove Nick's innocent!"

"Miss Faye. This is nothing I can't handle—"

"If it weren't for us, Nick wouldn't have won all those cases," Maya pointed out, cheeks puffed in indignation from the dismissal.

"I wouldn't be surprised if that were true. I, however, am not Wright. I'm perfectly capable of handling this without a secretary."

"Assistant," she corrected defensively.

"It doesn't matter what you are. I don't need your help in this," Miles countered. "I'm sure Wright will be lonely while he's not being questioned. Perhaps you'll be of more use cheering him up."

Maya bristled, "Well, we're going to help you whether you like it or not!"

"Yeah!" Pearl joined in enthusiastically.

Miles looked at the two of the pitifully, then he sighed in defeat. "If you're going to insist on interfering, at least stay out of the way. You can start by allowing me to fill out these forms, so my position as defense attorney for this trial will become official."

Maya and Pearl looked triumphant. "Don't worry, Mr. Edgeworth, we'll save him!"

"And Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya can be reunited and hug like in the movies," Pearl added whimsically.

Miles rubbed his forehead and tried to ignore the two of them. He couldn't help but smile slightly to himself as he did his task.

--

Police Precinct  
November 28, 2020  
9:00 A.M.

Miles paid no mind to the confused looks he received from the officers in the precinct. It must have been strange to see the normally solitary prosecutor walking in with two strangely dressed girls in tow. It didn't take long for Detective Gumshoe to notice their presence.

Gumshoe took a moment to stare from one face to another, then looked ultimately confused. "Er… I was just about to head to your office, sir. Here's those reports I promised you," he said as he presented two folders. "Isn't it weird for the prosecution to be hanging out with the defendant's friends?" Gumshoe added quietly, so only Miles would hear.

"I suppose that would be strange, if I were the prosecution," Miles told him idly as he looked over the autopsy reports.

Gumshoe, who had been wondering why the Faye girls were so cheerful looking, had a moment of clarity. "Don't worry, sir!" he exclaimed, then quieted his tone of voice, "Even though we're on different sides this time, I still think he's innocent, sir."

Miles all but ignored the bear of a man as he skimmed the reports. Miles raised an eyebrow questioningly. "It says here that the woman was killed at around 8:15 P.M."

"What about it?" Gumshoe asked him, bewildered.

"There was a fifty-minute gap between the time of the woman's death and the gunshot that killed the man. Why do you suppose the times were so different? Was the woman found hidden away?" Miles asked, all the while the detectives expression shifted from confused to understanding.

"Didn't think of that, sir," Gumshoe bellowed with a grin. "We found her right there in the open. She was even in her own blood, so it doesn't look like she was moved at all after her death."

Miles thought that it was a little strange for the times to be off by that much and there was no effort made to conceal the body. It was almost like the murderer was waiting for the second victim. That would mean the murder was definitely premeditated. It couldn't have been a murder-suicide either, considering the angle of the bullet into the man's skull would make that impossible.

"I expect to be notified of any further evidence that the police find," Miles told the detective and inserted the two folders into his briefcase. With a curt nod, Miles turned towards the exit. He saw the awed expressions on the girls' faces.

"That took half the time it usually does with Nick," Maya said in awe.

Miles merely smirked and held the door open for the girls.

--

State Park  
November 28, 2020  
9:30 A.M.

As they began their journey through the park, Miles took hold of Maya's arm and pulled her to the side. He had a concerned expression on his face. "The crime scene is a bit… bloody. Are you sure that your cousin will be able to handle it?"

Maya nodded and smiled. It was good to know the prosecutor was more human than he portrayed himself to be. "She's seen tons of scary stuff and it doesn't faze her at all."

Miles frowned and let go of her arm. "If you think she'll be alright, then I'll leave it up to you to relocate her if there's a problem," he said as they caught up to Pearl, who didn't seem to have noticed they lagged behind.

When they approached the picnic area that had been the location of the murder, Miles stepped over the yellow tape and turned back to Maya and Pearl. "I'm going to have to ask you both to stay outside of the tape." When he received a contempt glare from the elder, he sighed. "We can't accidentally disrupt the crime scene. If you 'd like, you can walk around the perimeter and follow me."

"Nick always let us in," Maya complained with her trademarked puffed cheeks.

"Wright was stretching a few too many rules to be lenient with the two of you," he replied sternly.

"One of the officers told us one time that as long as we were supervised, we could go wherever we wanted," she countered.

Miles clenched his teeth and turned away from them. "Fine. Don't touch **anything**," he warned and approached the team of a dozen crime scene investigators and forensic scientists. He didn't greet them, but instead proceeded to do his own investigating.

It was much easier to see when the sun was up. Miles could clearly see the indentions on the ground where the bodies were. There was too much foliage to see any footprints, so he had to rule out finding anything like that for evidence.

Miles approached the first bloody mark that he'd remembered being pointed out as the woman's place of death. He once again put on a pair of latex gloves and kneeled down. He heard the two Fayes jabbering away to one another, but he was concentrating and didn't listen to a word they were saying.

A few moments passed before something shimmering caught his eye. He picked up the object to find that it was a gold ring with a small band of what appeared to be tiny diamonds and rubies. Observing it, he noticed a small engraving on the inner edge of the band. "CP + AM, 'til death do we part." He decided it must be an engagement or wedding band. He placed the ring into a small evidence bag, then opened the woman's autopsy report. "Anna Molly," he murmured to himself as he put the bag and the report back into his briefcase. He'd report the evidence to Gumshoe later, so he wouldn't be found guilty of concealing evidence.

When he was finished looking over the first smear, he proceeded to check the rest of the area as thoroughly as he could.

Miles was dusting off his pant legs when he heard his name being called. He turned to look at Maya Faye, having forgotten all about the cousins during his investigation.

"Finally," she whined, "I've been trying to get your attention for an hour!"

"I think you're exaggerating, Miss Faye," Miles replied with slight exasperation and amusement.

"Am not!" she responded, "It's passed noon and I've been calling since eleven," she pointed at her watch as if it would be able to exclaim the same information. Miles checked his own watch and noticed that she was at least not kidding about the time.

"Pearly and I are hungry," she continued with a pout. "Let's go for burgers!"

Miles sighed and nodded. "I'm done here for now, anyway. I'm afraid that I'm not in the mood for burgers, though," Miles started to lead the girls back to his car.

Maya's heart sank a bit and she frowned, "What are we going to eat then?" She pulled a small purse from in her robed and looked inside. She didn't have an abundance of money, but the prosecutor either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Patience, Miss Faye," he told her with a bit of a smile.

--

La Mademoiselle Bleu  
November 28, 2020  
1:20 P.M.

Miles returned to the table to find that all he had left on his plate was now missing. He was relieved that he'd already had his fill by the time he'd gotten that phone call.

"Who was that?" Maya inquired between licking her fingers.

"Detective Gumshoe," he replied as he sat back down and looked at the check that had been delivered in his absence. He didn't look back at the two girls as he took out his wallet and placed a card in the credit card compartment in the small black book.

"What'd he want?" Maya asked him, not one to decline a gesture of free food.

Miles wasn't used to having to explain every step of a case. It somehow brought back memories (though mostly unpleasant) of being an apprentice to Manfred von Karma. Miles shuddered at that thought, pushing it aside. "They've called the person that heard the gunshot to be the witness, and the good detective "accidentally" let the name slip."

Maya grinned, "Nick would've had to trick him into telling him that," she told him, impressed. Miles decided not to mention that he was directly involved in determining Detective Gumshoe's salary. "Anyway, who is the witness?"

"It was the security man working at the park at the time," Miles explained. He was secretly relieved that a certain Wendy Oldbag wasn't the witness.

"We should get over there quick!" Maya announced.

--

City Park – Security Booth  
November 28, 2020  
1:40 P.M.

When they arrived at the booth, there was no one to be seen. Miles frowned at the unprofessional atmosphere. There were personal books scattered all over the place and various children's toys set up as some juvenile style of decoration.

"Have ya'll seen that photography poacher?!" Miles jumped slightly at the unexpected yelling. He turned and recognized the southern woman immediately. He frowned slightly, recalling seeing her in the witness chair during an unpleasant trial in which he had been the defendant.

"Miss Hart," he said coolly to greet the woman. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

" 'Course, I'm here!" she exclaimed excitedly. "What, with them cave men runnin' all over the place!"

"I beg your pardon?" Miles stared disbelieving at the afro'd southerner.

"You know, Sasquatches, Bigfoots, Yetis. There was a print here a couple days ago and I'm gonna get a picture! There's a poacher out here tryin' to steal my scoop! He went this way, ya'll see him?" Lotta Hart went on.

Miles couldn't help but feel like he was talking to someone from the other side of the world with such a strong culture gap between the two of them. "We haven't seen anyone. We were actually looking for the security guard on duty."

"I haven't seen no security around here… say, what'cha doin' with that lawyer's friends?" Lotta seemed to just notice Maya and Pearl smiling up at her.

Miles refrained from answering that he was baby-sitting. "It's none of your concern, Miss Hart," he replied curtly.

Lotta gave him an interrogative look. "Ya'll poachin' my stories too?!"

Miles sighed futilely. "Miss Hart, we have no interest in your paranormal nonse--pseudoscience. We're conducting an investigation."

Lotta's eyes lit up when he said that and Miles wanted to take back his words. Having Lotta on the witness stand would be nothing but trouble.

"Ya'll talkin' about what happened last night?" Lotta fiddled distractedly with her camera as she spoke.

Miles observed her behavior, "I'm almost afraid to ask… but what do you know about last night?"

She looked at him skeptically. "Now ya'll sound like that other lawyer. Yer not defendin', are ya?"

Miles frowned at her, daring her to try and hide something from him.

"Sorry. Can't tell ya what I know unless ya'll visit me with an affidavit." Lotta looked around, "Gotta run! See ya'll later," she left in such a hurry that Miles couldn't stop her.

"You don't think she's got pictures proving Nick's innocent, do you?" Maya asked hopefully.

"Whatever she knows, it's not good for us," Miles said in annoyance. "Let's come back later when security is doing its job."

--

Detention Center  
November 28, 2020  
2:50 P.M.

Phoenix grinned when he saw Miles, then the expression changed to wonder with Maya and Pearl followed him in.

"You didn't have to give them a ride to come visit me, Edgeworth," Phoenix said with a grin. He looked pleased nonetheless.

Miles opened his mouth to reply, but Maya beat him to it. "We're going to prove you're innocent, Nick!"

"You're working together?" Phoenix asked thoughtfully, then he snickered to himself. The idea of Miles putting up with his assistants was amusing.

"They wouldn't take no for an answer. Wright, I think you've been spoiling them," Miles scolded, but he sounded amused. "Misses Faye, I'll give you time to visit with him in a moment. I've got some important questions that need answering first," Miles explained. Maya and Pearl gave him a salute and stepped back quietly and obediently.

Phoenix stared, "How'd you do _that?"_

Miles smirked, "That's not important." Miles's expression became serious after that. "Wright, what were you doing in the park so late?"

Phoenix leaned back and crossed his arms, looking thoughtful once more. "After work, I went there to eat my dinner. I'd already packed it, and sometimes I just like to take a walk, you know. It was a nice day, so I went over to the park," Phoenix explained, trying to give Miles as much detail as he could.

Miles frowned and presented an image of Phoenix's lunchbox knife, coated with dried blood. "And is this yours?"

Phoenix's eyes widened and he looked carefully at the picture. "Yeah, it's mine… but it looks a lot different from the last time I saw it. I even wiped off the egg salad after I used it."

Miles nodded and slipped the image back into his bag. "If you were having dinner there, why were you still at the park after 9 P.M.?"

Phoenix sighed and gave Miles a sad look, "You sound like you're convinced it was me…"

Miles was a little surprised, "I'm only asking the types of questions you're going to have to answer if you go to the stand in court, Wright. It's for your benefit."

A look of relief washed over Phoenix's face. "You scared me," he said and exhaled. "Well, to answer your question, I honestly don't remember."

Miles looked unconvinced and his frown showed it. "You realize how suspicious that sounds, don't you? Elaborate."

"Well… I finished my dinner at about 6:45 and cleaned up. I was going to rest for fifteen minutes and head home. It's a little blurry what happened next… I kind of blacked out until I heard the gunshot and woke up. I guess I fell asleep. I saw the gun next to the bench I was on and then noticed the bodies…" Phoenix frowned as he explained.

"I went over to the woman, because she was the closest and tried to see if she was alright. She wasn't. There was blood everywhere," he shuddered a little.

"Anyway, I didn't have to go over to the guy. I could tell he was a goner. After standing there for a few minutes, stunned, the police came. I tried to tell them what I knew, but they cuffed me and brought me here."

Miles frowned at him. No one in court would believe that he'd slept through not one, but two murders. It didn't make sense at all.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything else? Even if it sounds bad, I'd like to know everything I can before tomorrow."

"Sorry," Phoenix frowned and shook his head. "I was sick last night on the way over here, but that has nothing to do with anything. It was probably because I couldn't get the smell of blood out of my head…"

Miles nodded and stood up. "Tomorrow is going to be hell, Wright. I think the only way to get through this is to try and get the trial to postpone for a second day. We need more time…"

Phoenix's smile was dejected at best. "Yeah, it's what I was expecting to hear."

Miles gave an apologetic look, then gestured the Fayes over. "I'm going to look for that security guard. I'll pick you up in about an hour. Wright, I'll see you tomorrow in the defense lobby."

Miles excused himself and left the girls to talk to the man who practically took on the role of parent to them.

--

City Park – Security Booth  
November 28, 2020  
3:25 P.M.

Miles approached the booth to find a skinny, bespectacled man in security uniform. He looked no older than twenty and his face was riddled with scars from acne. He had dirty blond hair that was kept shaggy.

"Are you Mr. Penden, the guard that was on duty last night?" Miles asked the man, who suddenly straightened up.

"Yep, that's me," The guard responded, adjusting his thick-framed glasses. "What can I do you for, good sir?"

Miles raised an eyebrow at the man's intentional misuse of grammar. He cleared his throat, "You were the who that called in the gunshot last night just after nine?"

The guard nodded. "That's me. What's up? You want to know about it?"

Miles nodded. Never had he met a more eager witness… well, besides Lotta Hart, that is. "Let's start with what you saw."

"At just after six, a man in a spiffy blue suit and red tie combo came by. I told him his hair was awesome, and he just grinned. After that, a woman came by. She was in a skirt and heavy coat. She looked cold, so I offered her some of my coffee… but she didn't want any," the man frowned when he said the last phrase.

"Anyhoo, after that, some other guy walked by. He was a real meat-head. You know, the type where his muscles replaced most of his brain function. No one else came by and this is the only way in and out of the picnic area. It's got that water and all those rocks around it, you know?"

Miles observed the man and his small body gestures when he talked about the victims and the defendant. He could tell he was more comfortable with the subjects of Phoenix and Anna than he was with Mr. Robert Builder.

"Are you sure that no one came by before the man in the blue suit?" Miles wondered how the man could have seen everyone considering how no one was at the station at all when he had come by earlier.

"Not a soul," Mr. Penden replied and pointed up at a small black box above them. "Got everything on camera. The cops already took the videos. I'm sure they'd agree that no one came by."

Miles had his next destination in mind. The police precinct. Why hadn't Gumshoe contacted him about it?

"Do you know anything about the victims?" Miles asked, deciding to play safe. He didn't want any unpleasant surprises.

"Sure, they come here all the time," the worker said with a cheerful grin. "Anna, you know, the girl victim… well, she was always talking to me when she came by. She had some trouble with her boyfriend, Cain Pullinger, cheating on her. Well, her boyfriend is a big, rising pop musician and has to travel a lot. Well, he got high and laid some chick in Denver. Anna was all torn up about it and tried to… you know… get revenge by cheating on him.

"She came to me first, but I can't do anything like that to my old middle school friend. Hell, we've known each other since the first day of sixth grade," the guard seemed a little too enthusiastic to Miles about the idea of such a pretty woman being attracted to him.

"Well, he's in Detroit right now. She'd found some other guy to hook up with, but I don't know his name. Well, I guess she didn't finish her revenge…" the security guard deflated a bit with a long sigh.

"What about Mr. Builder? Miles ventured after giving the other man a little time to regain composure.

"Who? Was that the guy?" Mr. Penden looked quizzical, then shrugged his shoulders. "Nope, doesn't ring a bell."

Miles sighed and nodded to the man. "Thank you, Mr. Penden. I should be going now."

"Oh, you can call me Cody!" The guard said with a grin.

Miles nodded again and started back towards his car. He thought about the possibility of Mr. Pullinger being in town and finding out about his apparent fiancée's determination to cheat on him. That would definitely be a motive for murder… but how would he get passed the cameras? Miles checked his watch. There wasn't enough time to find and visit Mr. Pullinger. He'd have to see to it after the trial.

--

Police Precinct  
November 28, 2020  
4:20 P.M.

Miles looked for the detective when he entered the precinct, but he was nowhere to be seen. He frowned in disappointment and walked to the police chief's desk. "I was not notified of the security tapes from City Park regarding the double homicide last night."

"Well, of course you weren't. You're not prosecuting in the trial," the baffled chief replied.

"I still have a right to know as the defense attorney in this case," Miles told him blandly.

The chief gave him a strange look up and down. "Well, there's nothing unusual about them. We've watched the whole thing and the witness described it accurately."

Miles would have liked to see the tapes himself, but there would be no way for him to convince the chief to give them to him after he'd personally helped make sure the police department would be as uncooperative with the defense as possible. He would have to speak to the good detective to get a hold of them.

Miles resigned to take leave and go pick up the Faye Girls. It was going to be a long trial.


End file.
